made for the camp. Venture further
through the screen door into a fully
operational private bathroom with a deep
claw-foot bath, protected from above, but
essentially open to the elements. Listening
to the twilight cricket choir while soaking
in the tub is a magical experience, and
as you're drifting to sleep you can hear
the crash and suck of the surf four
kilometres away.
UP AND AT 'EM
Morning calls, and when you're in
surroundings such as these, even night
owls will find the impetus to seize the
day. The pale grey of the surrounding
gum trees draws almost perfect stripes
against the green bush, the smell of
crushed eucalypt and paperbark drifting
into every tent. The tents themselves are
close enough to each other and The
Gunyah restaurant to navigate on a dark
night, yet isolated enough for total
privacy, and are set on an impressive
80-hectare site of creek-fronted protected
bushland, which the Hutchings have
made easy to explore. Bikes and canoes
are on hand to wile away a sunny day;
take a ride into nearby Huskisson town
via Huskisson Trading Post (1 Tomerong
St, Huskisson; +61 2 4441 5241), which
doubles as an unofficial tourist centre.
Here, you'll find self-confessed "Pushy
Robyn" selling second-hand wares such
as 1940s tin chests and '70s sideboards
alongside ribbon-tied stacks of Mills &
Boon novels. It's a solid dose of real
country vintage gear at the small-town
prices --- think $5 for a half-a-dozen old-
school paperback romances --- and $50 for
that WWII metal trunk. Turns out Pushy
Robyn is nowhere near as aggressive as
her capital-city counterparts.
Cycling is a good way to work up
an appetite, so be sure to visit the self-
professed World Famous Fish & Chips
shop (2/54 Owen St; +61 2 4441 5556)
whose bold frontage, judging by the
milling crowd out front, is justified. Then
work it off on the bayside cycle path to
Vincentia, through Jervis Bay National
Park to the spectacular Hyams Beach.
(clockwise from
above) The town of
Huskisson on Jervis
Bay; a claw-foot tub
in Paperbark Camp's
deluxe tent; a pathway
on the shore of Jervis
Bay at Huskisson;
the perfect white sands
of Hyams Beach; The
Gunyah restaurant
at Paperback Camp.
(opposite) Inside one of
the camp's deluxe tents.
DECEMBER | 093
{jervis bay} TRAVEL